Presidential Inaguration 2009
Due to the historic nature of the 56th Presidential Inauguration in January, Washington, DC expects to see a significant increase in the number of people who will be coming to view the swearing-in ceremony. Already all hotels are booked and a local bus charter service has already booked 1,100 bus trips for January 20, 2009. The District of Columbia’s 2009 Presidential Inauguration website will assist you in finding valuable information about the events surrounding the 56th Presidential Inauguration including lodging information, transportation, security measures and closures. You can visit the website at: www.inauguration.dc.gov/index.asp
CERT responds to hurricanes Gustav and Ike
We would like to send our gratitude to all of the CERT members who assisted in the hurricane Gustav and Ike response efforts. CERT spent many hours working in our EOC and at local shelters over the past two weeks. We would also like to thank the members of our neighboring Hays County CERT who quickly responded to our call for assistance.
Teri Beck and Jim Gattis work in the EOC during hurricane Ike activation
The City of Austin Office of Emergency Management’s CERT team has developed a Neighborhood Safety and Preparedness Program aimed at public safety and disaster education. The presentation is available in both English and Spanish. The one-hour training class is designed to educate the community on the basic steps to recognize, prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies inside and outside of their homes and businesses. Topics covered in the one hour presentation include severe weather safety, fire safety, first-aid kits, emergency supply kits, evacuation planning, and shelter planning.
This valuable program is available at no cost to all groups of 10 or more including, neighborhood groups, companies, churches, etc. To arrange a presentation for your group or organization, please contact Tiffany Taylor at 974-0477.
The City of Austin Earns "Storm Ready" Recertification
The City of Austin was recognized by the National Weather Service on March 21, 2008 as one of four areas in Central Texas to be certified as “StormReady.” The “StormReady” program recognizes communities that are prepared to save lives from the onslaught of severe weather through better planning, education, and awareness. To earn this designation, various City agencies work together to ensure that citizens are prepared for severe weather and that emergency warning systems effectively alert the public.
Technological advances in warning systems, like the Emergency Notification System, allow the city to alert residents of emergency situations. Residents are called with a pre-recorded message to warn them when there is an actual flood event or other emergency that could endanger their lives or property.
Other technological support includes the placement of cameras in various flood prone areas and the use of amateur radio operators to assist with providing hospitals and other vital services with communications capabilities when power failures occur. Additional steps to improve preparedness include Skywarn traning classes which are offered to citizens to educate them on how to spot severe weather and how to report it as it develops. All of these things serve to make our community better prepared to weather the storm.
Director Otis J. Latin, Sr. accepted the honors at a news conference on the banks of Shoal Creek, site of major flood damage during the infamous Memorial Day flood of 1981.
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